


Reflections of the Soul

by Dragon_of_Dreams



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Body Horror, Broken Bones, Character Study, Don't Know How to Fight Scenes, Gen, Injury, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Nightmares, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV First Person, Physical Disability, Separations, Swordfighting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23724709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_of_Dreams/pseuds/Dragon_of_Dreams
Summary: Warriors was always seen as something by others, whether it be by his titles or names caused by his actions. He does his best to keep up the facade. After all, isn't this what was expected of him, of a hero and captain who must show no wrong? But even the bests of masks break. This is a look into his actions through his eyes.
Relationships: Warriors & Wind & Wild (Linked Universe), Warriors & Wind (Linked Universe)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 94





	1. Captain: Part 1

I’d admit, sometimes I wondered what the others saw in me. The other heroes (heroes who were much greater than I’ll ever be) often sought me for advice—especially when it came to the tactics of combat. And they needed that advice. _Now._

“Time!” I called out. “Go check with Four! To your left! Sky! Help out Twilight! Wild! Get ready! _Now!_ ”

Monsters ambushed us—the lot of them. In the middle of a Hyrule none of us recognized. I kept shouting out strings of commands despite our disadvantage in the ambush; The shouts of affirmation was all I needed to keep going—to keep leading.

In the midst of the battlefield I dealt with an Iron Knuckle from Hyrule’s time. My view constantly shifted between the field and the armored knight in front of me, making sure he didn’t strike me while I watched for my comrades. It left little room for error, given he could shoot sword beams, but I had to try. Between slashes and parrying and dodging the beams, I rolled to the knight’s side, parrying a sword swing and countered with a stab.

As our dance of battle continued, with my shield deflecting the beams and his armor deflecting my swings, I took care of scanning the field once more, keeping a headcount of the others. _Time and Four. Sky and Twilight. Legend and Hyrule. Wild._

_Wind?_

I called his name. No response. The clashes of swords and yells from the others created a cacophony of dread within my beating heart. Out of everyone that had to be missing I didn’t want it to be one of my closest friends and allies. I had to end this battle. _Quick_.

I targeted the knight once more. At the exposed gap I stabbed through the Iron Knuckle, knocking him down to the ground and my sword hung over his neck. He put a hand on his injured side, holding onto the wound I caused him and lifted his head to face me, loosening his grasp on his sword and cast it aside. I defeated him.

The knight spoke, breathing heavily between words. I strained my hearing as the yells of battle still rang around us. “You’ve fought valiantly. The King of Hyrule would have been proud to have you.”

_What?_

I didn’t have time to ponder. I immediately rushed to Wild’s side and blocked the axe of a lizard-like enemy, _a_ _Daira_ , knocking it out of its hands before I struck back, killing it.

“Thanks,” Wild said, his back meeting mine.

“I’ll handle them,” I told him. “Go find Wind.”

“On it.”

I made quick work of the monsters surrounding us. Wild jumped straight towards a tree, climbing up to the top as I worked towards the tougher knights and distracted them from Four. The short hero nodded and slashed through the knight’s back.

The pounding in my chest aggravated with each breath. With each clash ticked a second—each one counting a life lost. My heart clenched at the thought. _Wind is strong,_ I had to remind myself. _More than just a kid._

“Wild? Any sign of him?” I called out.

“Found him!”

I nodded to the others. “Everyone, stay here! Wild and I will go help Wind.”

I ran up to the champion, who had already dropped off the tree. A frown formed on his lips. “We need to hurry. Follow me.” We ran past the combat zone, through the blur of the open fields into a rocky valley. Flashes of crimson splattered through my vision. I blinked them off. Within the valley my eyes landed on the bright blue outfit of the fourteen-year-old. The relief I had was short-lived—he was fighting against much larger knights for his size. Darknuts. By himself.

“Wind!”

The kid backflipped, avoiding a sword swing. I ran to his side and raised up my shield, flinching as a Darknut swung its heavy sword through it.

“You okay, sailor?” I asked, still shaken by the blunt force coursing through my arm.

“We need to stop them!” Wind yelled. “I think they’re looking for something!”

“Something, huh?”

Wind rolled around and slashed up their backs, cutting off their armor from their bodies.“Hit their back!” he cried. “We need to take their armor off!”

 _So they’re from your time, huh._ I followed his instruction, rolling around to the Darknut’s back and cut the red strings that tied the armor together. With the armor dropped, the Darknut had most of its body exposed. And that gave it mobility. It quickly turned around and swung its sword like a plaything. I brought my shield back up, holding my ground as I deflected another blunt hit. I slashed back, running through his exposed abdomen.

“Warriors! Help Wild!”

 _The champion? “_ Wh—” I caught a glimpse of the champion knocked on the ground in the corner of my eye. With a nod towards the sailor, I stabbed at the exposed Darknut before dashing my way to the injured hero.

"Come on, Wild! Stand up!"

I shielded the champion from the fatal blow aiming his way. Wild took advantage of the precious seconds he had. He stood up and took out his bow, then aimed an arrow to the Darknut, taking it out.

“Captain! Wild! Watch out!”

The shock of a new impact stumbled me backwards, shoving Wild back and then I realized: I sent him right out of the edge of the cliff.

“Wild, no!”

I dropped my sword and grabbed his hand. I was fully aware of the threat hanging over my back, ready to strike us at any second. It was either letting Wild go or—

“Warriors! Let me go! I got this!”

I frowned. Underneath the champion lay an endless, dark abyss awaiting for the death of anyone unfortunate enough to fall into it. I wasn’t even sure if Wild could survive such fall, paraglider or not.

“Guys?” Wind yelled behind us. The cries of pain from the monstrous knight soon followed.

“Come on,” I told Wild as I dropped off my shield and grabbed him with my other hand. “I’ll get you up and we’ll teach those knights a lesson.”

It was risky, but I trusted Wind to hold us long enough. I heard the yells and the clashes of the young boy against the dark knights as I lifted up Wild. _Just a little longer. Hold on, little lobster._

Only for Wind to cry out in pain and knock us out into the abyss.

* * *

When I came to I blinked my dried eyes several times before I clenched my jaw shut through agonizing pain. My body hurt—waves of electric shocks coursed through my entire being. Most likely cracked a bone or two from the fall. My dominant arm lay stiff, held by nothing but still weighted like a boulder crushed it underneath. And it _hurt_ trying to move it.

“Wars? Are you awake?”

“Captain. Don’t move.”

Through the blur I met two faces of blond hair and blue shirts. At first I didn’t recognize them—the world was still a haze in my mind and the agony distracted me, yet I felt an ease with them. Friends. I let out a sigh, letting peace overcome me into a slumber.

“Wars, stay awake!”

I snapped my eyes open and met the child’s voice. _Wind_ , my mind recalled when my vision cleared up. Wind was here alive and well, I thought, holding down my chest as I glanced at his face. I smiled. At least it didn’t hurt to smile.

“How is the little lobster doing?” I asked. My voice sounded tired but still somehow clear despite everything that happened. I had expected worse: roughness and sluggishness in my words just as it went for the rest of my body. Part of me was glad. I felt a slight throbbing at the back of my head but at least it wasn’t killing.

“Worried about you,” Wind replied, shocked. I’d be too. “You didn’t have anything to break up your fall?”

 _The paraglider._ I recalled the owner of the other face, Wild. The moments of the fall rushed through my eyes: I latched onto Wild, plummeting us together before he pulled out his paraglider to save us. But I didn’t remember anything more than that. “Wild?” I blinked. “Is everyone alright?”

“Here. I’m fine. We’re fine.” The champion didn’t look worse for wear despite the scars that marred half his face. How the paraglider saved us I’ll never know. And Wind—

“Wait, Wind? You weren’t with us. How did you…”

Wind pulled out a leaf and waved it in front of my face, well… what remained of it. All he held in his hand was a stem with branches that once held the form of a leaf. “Ran out of magic.”

“So some magical leaf saved you, got it.” _Better than nothing._

I wanted to lift myself up from the ground, but Wind and now Wild still held me down. “Not yet, Warriors,” Wild told me. “Let us help you.”

Wild carefully lifted my back and wrapped his arm around my waist, making sure to hold on where I felt least sensitive. I was grateful Wild’s training as a knight hadn’t left his memory but it still worried me how much it hurt just to move. Especially my arm. The shoulder felt sore; it lacked the metallic shoulder pad that protected it and I didn’t want to know of its state—it’s a miracle my arm wasn’t dislocated. From what I could tell.

“Are you alright?"

I nodded to Wild before he released me. I looked up to the sky. The fog covered everything hundreds of feet above us, as if we’re now in a different world within this ravine. My sword and shield were now gone, I realized with a start. There was no way I could get them back now. Unless they fell like we did. And based on the rocky ground around us I didn’t think they did. I found the shoulder pad, dented and ruined beyond repair. A shame. I didn’t have the cool captain looks anymore but at least my scarf didn’t get ruined.

I wanted to chastise Wind for leading us astray but I couldn’t do it. The little sailor had a big heart and an insufferable amount of stubbornness that made him courageous but also dangerous. Still, if I were his age I’d do the same. My biggest concerns were the Darknuts and Wind’s words. “You said they’re looking for something,” I told the sailor. “Do you know what it is?”

Wind shook his head. The bright blond hair had dulled from the dirt, matching closer to his sun-kissed skin than my golden hair. And his blue tunic was ripped in the midsection, revealing a set of bloody bandages covering his torso underneath. There was nothing we could do about his tunic. We’d need to pay an expert tailor to repair or even replace it, but that didn’t matter. The boy got injured, I scorned. _The Darknuts will pay._

But we weren’t in any condition to travel. Wild made his status known when took off his tunic. Dark bruises appeared in his unscarred side from when he was knocked down but otherwise didn’t acknowledge them—he proudly bore the bruises just like he bore his scars. Wild had set up his cooking station while Wind and I sat down on a rock next to each other, watching him prepare the food.

“I wonder how the others are doing,” I said after a while. We didn’t just leave my weapons behind. We left our comrades too.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine!” Wind cried. “They have Time to lead them!”

I winced. “That’s not what I meant,” I told him, pointing at our only expert cook in the group. “I was talking about that. I’m sure they’d love to have a cook like him.”

Wild paid no mind to us, stirring his pot and taking a taste test. The stiffness in his face told me it wasn’t ready yet. If it had been up to meI’d serve everyone with the rations I ate in the military. The luxury of the food Wild gave us non-existent. We’re lucky to have him, but it hurt to imagine how the others were doing. _Imagine Hyrule cooking for them_ , I chuckled at the mental image. The traveler could set water into flame somehow. His cooking? _Definitely something else._

Wind giggled too, thinking of his own version of the mess that the other group would deal with—cooking without Wild. “I think they can manage,” he said.

“They sure can.”

When Wild was done he served us a bowl of rice and meat each before he joined us. He put the pots away but still let the flame double as a campfire as the night caught up. We ate in silence, occasionally taking in small chat to keep our minds off our situation. I did miss arguing and taking bets with Legend. I wondered if he was taking a bet right now. How long we’d take before we meet again? I’d say a week, although I much rather it be tomorrow.

It’s a shame we couldn’t communicate to each other right now. Wild’s slate and Wind’s charm have something going on that allowed communication with each other. Except here was the problem: they’re both with us. As far as I was aware? We didn’t have anything else.

Then, out of nowhere, Wild whistled. The loud and sharp multi-note whistle echoed throughout the ravine. I frowned. _Nice job, Champion. You’re asking for enemies to come over for a party._

“What are you doing?”

“Calling Wolfie.”

“Ah.” The wolf. I hadn’t seen him for a while but he seemed to appear with the flicker of a command. “Is he your pet or something? He always seems to follow you around.”

Wild paused. He choked before letting out a loud, coarse laugh. “What?! No!” He coughed. “He’s just one of my best friends!”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure. That hasn’t stopped you before.”

“Hey! A bear is different!”

I crossed my arms, smirking despite the pain. “And I’m sure you’d love to keep it.”

Wind stiffened a giggle with a cough, only to squirm at the pain of his wound. I told Wind to take off his tunic and Wild to bring new bandages. Under the old bandages was the long open wound that ran through his torso. It was no longer bleeding, thank the gods, but I knew it’d leave scarring when it fully healed. Wild helped replace the bandages while I observed Wind’s reaction. Tough kid. For a fourteen-year-old he toughed out wounds that’d leave adult soldiers crying.And it scared me. It scared me to see a kid who was so used to these kinds of wounds he shrugs them off like nothing.

Wild, for all the hoarding he has to the likes of Legend, just told me that he was running low on bandage roll. “We should restock in the nearest town,” I told him back. “You know, that wolf friend of yours is taking forever to appear.”  
  
Wild frowned. Part of me suspected he wouldn't.

After fixing Wind up it came time to check upon my own wounds. My arm was unusually stiff as I removed my scarf from my person. It was embarrassing to say it and I was sure my face burned warm, but I asked Wind and Wild to help me remove my tunic. I focused on the blaze of campfire beside us, its fiery light concealing my reddened face.

At first it was easy: on one arm I lifted it up in front of me with no problem and got half of my clothing removed with the help. My other arm however? It prickled with pain and I felt the shoulder pop into a snap as I lifted it up. _Not good_.

“Did it dislocate again?” Wild asked.

 _Again?_ “You knew about this and didn’t tell me? Don’t you know how easy it is to dislocate a bone after you do it once?”

Wild and Wind both flinched. I knew dislocating my shoulder again didn't come this easily but that wasn't a risk I wanted to take. Still, I pursed my lips. I had forgotten as I was dealing with an amnesiac gremlin and and a young teen I’d rather _not_ have to deal with this kind of stuff. “After we assess my wounds we’d choose our next course of action, understood?”

The outlook under the tunic was much worse than I’d expected. My shoulder was blackened and the bruises ran down my arm, spotting all kinds of purples and yellows. On top with my older burnt scars it looked like a mangled mess. A welcomed one. The rest of my body also suffered bruises but none were as bad as my arm.I might have cushioned the fall with it and paid the price.


	2. Captain: Part 2

I was fortunate enough to have the champion build a makeshift splint with the wood and the remaining roll we had, fixing my shoulder and arm into place. Unfortunately it meant that I’d have to be more cautious for a while. I kept the fire rod I borrowed from Legend but I wouldn’t be able to use its full capability. Still, I was glad I didn’t remain fully defenseless.

I took the watch for the night, occasionally rekindling the campfire with the rod. I blinked my drying eyes. I took out a little case and removed my contacts one by one and put them away for the night, replacing them with glasses. They alleviated my eyes but diminished my looks.

The others checked up on me once in a while, and during those times I hid my glasses. They offered to take my place for the watch and I declined. We all needed rest but I knew mine wouldn’t come easily. Memories of the fall were still a blur but they still flashed as I stared at the dancing flare.

I sighed. Sometimes I’d hear yells or see shadows in the darkness, only to realize they never were there. My past blurred with the present and I end up chasing the ghosts of time, only to seek a timeline that’ll never be.

_Why didn’t you do it!_

I shut my eyes. “Because I fought for our people,” I muttered. I knew I was talking to the air but my mind wandered to soldiers in front of me, only vanishing as reality settled in.

“Captain?”

I hid my glasses under my tunic before Wind noticed. “Yes?”

“Are you okay? You haven’t slept all night.”

I frowned. _I know._ “I’m fine.” _I wasn’t._

I knew Wind didn’t believe me, but said nothing more as he shrugged off back to sleep. Wild shifted, but I couldn’t tell if he watched us or not—biggest downfall for having terrible vision. It’d before long they asked again, before they push me to sleep before dawn came. I still hadn’t accepted any offer since. It had been peaceful. _Too peaceful._

Wild woke up first and began cooking up breakfast, giving me a worried glance as he broke an egg into a new pot. I acknowledged him but said nothing. Sometimes we spoke the language of silence.

Wind woke up next, tired of it all by the break of dawn. He got bags under his eyes from restless sleep and a hot temper to match. “Wars! You should get some sleep! You haven’t slept at all last night!”

“I said I’m fine.”

“I agree with Wind. Sleeping is good for you.”

“Who made the guy who slept for a hundred years the judge?”

He winced, and I realized I might have hit a nerve. “I’m sorry,” I muttered, but Wild finished off making an omelette for the three of us, not acknowledging my apology. Perhaps I spoke too softly so I tried again.

Still nothing. He served Wind, but hovered my plate behind his back. “I won’t give you breakfast until you promise you’ll sleep.”

My mouth gaped open. “Are you serious?”

The wild gremlin let out a wide mischievous grin and he knew with my disabled state he had the higher ground. I scoffed. I contemplated between skipping breakfast and staying awake or go to sleep so I’d have enough energy to travel—assuming I could find rest at all. Neither were good.

“Fine.” Breakfast would help a little. If only just.

Wild doubted my words, but still passed me the plate. The two then began to chat to keep our minds off the silence. Their voices faded into the background as I slowly ate the yellow blob off the white circle. Hadn’t it been for the taste I’d think I was eating anything but an omelette. It also meant watching out for the crumbs on my tunic too and brushing them out. Stupid vision.

Done. Wind and Wild shoved me (if gently) to the ground and folded my scarf like a pillow. I glared at the patches of blues and yellows but I let blackness cover my vision.

* * *

I dreamed of a forest of flames around me. The ground crimson and black with corpses scattered around. Skeletons of soldiers long gone. I passed over their remains and stepped on crimson, rippling a pool of blood all below me as I marched on.

 _This is nothing new, Link._ Yet unease ran over my mind. Shadows warped through the waves of fire, of screaming ghosts reaching from the deepest echoes of my mind. Faces burning and melting into ash while I remained untouched by the hand of the gods. Of Hylia. Watching the ever-true reality of war.

I couldn’t shut my eyes.

 _“You failed us.”_ They wailed. They cried. They screamed. Their words flared the forest anew but their heat was lost in the waves of certainty.

“The war has been won,” I reminded them. I reminded _myself._ “I avenged you.”

Then the flames slashed out, burning my face and _I screamed._ I bit my tongue, turning it into a screeching hiss. I held onto all my will to not let it show—not let weakness shine—as I covered my face from the agony ignited under it. “You failed us, _Captain.”_ I froze. I turned around, wide-eyed as Legend showed his face in front of the other heroes I left behind. The burning sensation gone, replaced with a chill that froze my skin.

Legend. Half his face skeletal. His blond hair charred into black and the pink locks completely missing. The rest of his body dressed up in flames. And the others nothing but Poe wisps which submerged with the rest of the landscape and the flames that made up Legend’s ‘clothing.’ Legend glared at me, his mouth a perfectly straight line. His voice unmistakable.

“We’re just pawns to your war,” he said. “You left us to die.”

I pried my eyes open. “N-no. No!” Wind and Wild rushed to my side, crouching down to my level. I covered my face with my elbow—didn’t want them to pry into my burning face, soaking with tears as I felt my tunic drench. _Useless!_ I cried in my mind, Legend’s burnt apparition still at the forefront. _What kind of captain can’t keep his own men alive?!_

Wind put his hand over mine. I clenched his smaller hand, perfectly clasped within. I squeezed it. And Wind understood. I heard him shift into another position and soothed my hand, humming a melody that I knew was meant for his younger sister but still comforted me as if we were siblings. _I wish._

_I wish…_

I felt another hand holding on to mine. Wild’s. Wild clasped his hands over ours like a protective shell. An armor shielding me from my fears. It remained like this—with hands that wouldn’t release each other until I felt ready to face them.

I didn’t want to. My face still stained with weakness. But I gathered my courage and mumbled that I was fine, that it was just the pain in my shoulder acting up. “We have to get a doctor or a healer to look it up,” I said.

I released my grasp, with Wind and Wild following. I stood up with their help, their expressions concealed from my current vision. _They’re strong._ I breathed. _Why am I putting myself down like this?_ “We should get ready to move,” I told them. “We can’t stay here. We’re wasting enough time as it is.”

They didn’t complain. My first instinct was that they didn’t want to deal with the sour tone of my voice, of an upset leader whose choices depended on life and death. _This is what I get for being captain of an army._

We packed everything up and readied ourselves. The fire rod hung on my back, but my contacts remained encased in my pouch—they’d have to wait for a while. “Let’s move,” I said, tilting my head toward one of the only two directions within this place. I hoped I pointed to the right direction. “Once we find a town we will rest.”

* * *

It was just the three of us. Wind took the front and Wild took the back. I felt trapped being in the middle, but it was my safest choice given my condition—it wasn’t good leading blind. The ravine opened up the path to a much wider canyon, and all I saw in the distance was just rock.

“This looks familiar,” Wild said. He had a similar canyon in his Hyrule, but we had confirmed it wasn’t his when the Sheikah Slate showed static on its screen. Still, I wondered if this era shared more similarities than we thought. Hyrule shared specific landmarks throughout history, that was certain. Yet in others there were landmarks specific to a certain era. Questioning the land was like questioning the very rifts of time through my era. _It just happens._

The trek through the canyon ran for hours and still no end in sight. I considered swallowing my words and take a moment of rest. I drank a sip or two from my flask, trying to conserve it as much as I could. The sun-high heat warmed us into sweating and there was no shade in sight. Either we continued walking or sit down on the hot rocks. “We have to keep going,” I said, despite my foresight of the upcoming protests.

“How can you handle this?” Wild asked behind me. At some point he put on an intricate circlet with a sapphire gem as its centerpiece. It brought a cool air around him.

“You’ll get used to it.”

“It’s not that bad,” Wind said. “The cold on the other hand?” He hugged himself and let out an exaggerated _brrrrr_ and I laughed.

We continued on. The trek had been a little too dead for my taste, but it was the peaceful kind of dead that my body longed for yet couldn’t trust. If experience taught me anything it was that enemies strike when we least expect it. Something had to clear out the monsters and wildlife.

“Captain, what’s wrong?” Wild asked.

With fire rod in hand, I marched on. I climbed on a rock for higher ground. Wild followed me, taking out his slate and observed through it. I saw small black blobs. “Wolves?” I asked.

“No,” Wild said, frowning. “People. Too armored to be regular travelers. They’re coming this way. Think they saw us.”

 _Soldiers?_ I frowned. _Mercenaries?_ “Climb up and stand guard. We don’t know who we’re dealing with.”

Wild nodded. I jumped back down, meeting up with Wind and pointed at the direction of the newcomers. “We have to be careful.”

He nodded, bringing a shield in hand. I remained behind him, tightening my grasp on the rod.

“Wild should be watching now,” I said.

We waited. I felt bad for having Wind in the frontline but my injury and missing weapons didn’t leave much room for an advantage. When the kid was at a much better condition than myself I felt glad but also guilty for making him a target. The blobs seemed to get bigger and their features sharper, now recognizable as people in my eyes, but still too far to know of their origin or profession.

“Wind, what do you see?”

“Soldiers—Captain, look out!”

The blobs shifted. Although I couldn’t see it I knew what Wind implied. I yanked Wind and ran to the rock, crouching down as an array of arrows hit our original spot.

“Call Wild!”

Wind took out his charm, a blue stone glowing with magic. “Wild!” he cried. “What’s going on?!”

 _“I got hit.”_ Wild groaned. _“These aren’t ordinary people. Be careful.”_

I tapped Wind’s shoulder and signed to him: _L I N K ?_ Emphasizing with an eyebrow. The sailor just shrugged, looking back where the arrows hit. He then turned back to me, frowning.

He then signed. _Rupees._

_Rupees?_

_Magic Armor._

I frowned, giving him my wallet. _Don’t waste it._

Wind nodded. He took out a purple crystal with an orb inside. He opened the crystal capsule and the orb enveloped into a magical aura around him. I dropped the fire rod in favor of my hookshot, because at least I could pull him to brief safety if necessary.

Wind walked out of the cover, and waved at the strangers. “‘Hoy!”

My heart raced. I didn’t know how well the magical armor would protect him but my vision turned to arrows and bloodshed. Here we’re speaking of a kid who fought an army of soldiers relentlessly beside me. _Calm down, Link._ It never got any easier.

“A kid? What’s a kid doing here?”

I heard the unsheathing of weapons and I growled. Wind raised his hands, his voice cracking. “Hey, I’m not here to fight!”

“Not talking about you, kid. Reveal yourself. I know there’s another one here.”

 _Of course._ I wished my blindness didn’t put me at a disadvantage. I put the hookshot away and put the rod on my back, with my hand up in the air as I walked out of the cover.

“We’re not here to harm,” I said. They couldn’t have missed the splint on my arm. “We got injured ourselves. We’re trying to find our way to the nearest town.”

“So the archer is of your party too.”

I nodded. It might be harder to read expressions, but I relied on their body language to read their intentions. One of the members tensed— perhaps the archer who had hit Wild. The others were as stiff.

“I take you guard this place?” I asked.

“We’ve been watching Taragara Canyon for monsters,” the one in the front said. I presumed their leader. “There have been strange incidents lately, we can’t afford to let our guard down.”

“Neither can we,” I said. I remembered Wind’s words. “Apparently Darknuts have been searching for something. I hope they aren’t raiding villages as we speak.”

“Darknuts?”

I nodded. “My group may have dealt with them already—we got separated during a battle.” Their lowered their weapons, but their bodies remained tensed.

Then a shadow covered the sunlight above us. The archer readied himself, ready to aim. “Hold on,” I said.I looked up to the sky and saw the unmistakable brown and blue. “That’s our archer.”

Wild landed beside us, putting away his paraglider before meeting the other soldiers. “Nice hit,” he said, pointing a patch of red in his tunic.

“A-are you alright?” the archer spoke. I realized now he was a woman.

“I’m fine,” Wild said. “Nothing new.”

“It just makes our necessity to reach a town more dire,” I muttered.

The leader seemed to agree. The group patched Wild up before we all started traveling in the same direction. Apparently we were on the right track. Wind put his magic armor away and returned the wallet. I felt relief that he didn’t get injured and the rupees weren’t wasted.I took the front this time, accompanying the leader beside me in silence.

“You must be the leader,” the guy muttered, once we were farther ahead out of earshot. “No one dresses that fancy only not to be.”

“You’d be right,” I said. “But we have another. He’s leading our other group.” _Much better than I am._

He nodded. “Name’s Ronald,” he said, “Captain of Ruto Town’s resistance.”

“War—” I paused. I had to earn his trust and using nicknames as names weren’t a good way to start. “My name is Link. But please call me Warriors.”

“Warriors? Worked hard for that nickname huh? What about the others?”

“The kid’s Wind,” I said. “The other one’s Wild.”

“Brothers?”

I shook my head. “No relation. What about your troops?”

“The girl’s Loretta,” he pointed at the archer. “The others are Stern and Gale.”

We kept talking. I could hear Wind and Wild making acquaintances with the rest of Ronald’s group and I smiled. We really needed allies now. The tensed air lifted around us and I felt at ease—at least when it came to monsters and environmental dangers. I still didn’t trust them. I promised Ronald that after we recovered in town we’d go in our separate ways.


	3. Captain: Part 3

We had taken a break or two since, but by evening we finally arrived to the outskirts of Ruto Town. Guards saluted Ronald and allowed us in. It was fairly large for a town surrounded by mountains, only to be magnified by the sheer emptiness of the streets. We hurried up to the nearest open inn and rushed inside, towards the reception desk where a burly older man greeted us.“Ah! Ronald, welcome back. New guests—Oh? What happened to this guy’s arm?”

“Had an accident,” I replied but said nothing more.

Ronald offered to pay for our hospitality but I declined, telling him we could pay it ourselves. It was our original plan, after all. Didn’t feel right to waste someone else’s money.

“Generous, aren’t you?” Ronald said. “Hawk, how much for seven of us? We also got a kid.”

 _Don’t complain,_ I signed to Wind before he opened his mouth, although I did have complaints myself. “You don’t have any place to stay?” I asked Ronald. “Don’t you live here?”

Ronald grasped my shoulder and I stiffened from the sudden touch. “We’ll talk about that tomorrow.”

I didn’t argue on that. My focus shifted towards the innkeeper. “How many people per room?” I asked.

“Standard is two per room, unless you want to be crammed with more. Same price either way.”

 _Same price?_ I pursed my lips. On a strategic point it’d be better to have Wind and Wild share a room with me, especially with the probability of others trespassing to our rooms. Still, part of me wanted to have some privacy after all that was said and done. Needed to clear up my mind.

Despite better judgment, I said, “If we divide into twos then I would like a room for myself.” I then turned to the receptionist. “How much?”

Hawk seemed to be doing the math in his head before he finally spoke to us: “That’d be 510 rupees for the night.”

I frowned. I was hoping it’d be cheaper but didn’t complain. I gave him ten purple rupees and two blues (I had offered a yellow one but apparently they were worth only one in this era), then turned to Wind and Wild, who clearly weren’t happy with my decision.

“Don’t worry about me. I can still defend myself.”

Still, I could feel their immense guilt as Ronald led me to my room. Wind even gave me his charm in case of an emergency. After a pat on his head I said goodnight to everyone before my eyes landed on Wild.

“Hey, Wild!” I whispered. “No setting things on fire!”

I bet concern flashed on everyone’s eyes but I had already locked myself into my room. _Finally._ I let my glasses sharper my vision again, and after a whole day of blur it was welcomed. At least when I was alone.

I lit up the candle and sat down at the desk. I took a glance at the window at the back of the room, a small little thing that even an intruder couldn’t enter unless they were the size of Four, Wind may be pushing it. I shrugged it off, taking out my journal and my history book and put them on the desk.

“Ruto Town… where have I heard that before?” I flipped through the journal first, skimming through pages of information I’ve gathered from the other heroes, organized by each category: items, people, locations… _There._ Hero of Hyrule. He had mentioned the Town of Ruto in his era and the only one to have done so.

So I cross-referenced with the history book. The town was one of the surviving civilizations in his era, even named so for being the capital of Western Hyrule. But it mentioned nothing of a resistance. Perhaps we were in some future after his journey in awakening Zelda the First. Or perhaps there was a time between the Hero of Legend’s beforehand and his. A time where the towns had a much stronger force before Ganon’s monsters turned it into the wasteland Hyrule suffered through… I flipped through the pages around it, but no new information came up about this particular town.

When the book only referenced the eras of heroes… I knew it wouldn’t always be useful. I rubbed my forehead. I’ll have to ask Ronald of the land’s history and see if we couldn’t pinpoint some frame of reference. I’d hate waiting until dawn came. But I couldn’t go to sleep. Until I knew my men were safe any wink of sleep would get lost in the crossfire.

I sighed. They were heroes, but even heroes chosen by the gods weren’t infallible. I should’ve known. I reached out to the window and all I saw was the face of a young man shattered with tears in the darkness. My own.

_I don’t want them to see me like this.  
_

* * *

The lounge filled up with people even at the crack of dawn. With my face cleaned of my flaws and insecurities, I greeted everyone with a smile as I waited at a table, looking for the rest of my allies. Found one. Or rather, he found me. Our cook started setting up the table for breakfast, putting down plates and cups for the seven of us.

“Hey Warriors,” Wild called as he set down a teapot at the center of the table.

I waved. A few people around us gave me weird looks but I ignored them. A few of them were also injured in some kind of previous combat, wearing bandages and bandaids but I hadn’t noticed anything life-threatening. I wondered if there were any healers on hand. Or someone who sold potions nearby, I needed to buy one.

The world tightened as more eyes landed on me, like monsters who surrounded me back in the battlefield. “Never seen a place like this so crowded,” I whispered to Wild. “I wonder what happened.”

He hummed. “Wish I knew.”

I felt trapped, but I hung my head high as I scanned the path to the closest exit in case of an emergency. The safest path would be through the main exit, but the people worried me. Close to the exit, a few men hung out by the bar enjoying a few alcoholic drinks, which I knew was a dangerous incentive. Who knew if there was someone itching for a fight? Looking around, I still haven’t caught any sight of the members of the Resistance or Wind.

“Why are the others taking so long? Did they oversleep?” I didn’t disguise the irritation in my voice. I was glad the noise muffled our voices from the crowd.

Wild replied, “Wind’s still sleeping, he was cursing up a storm last night. Not sure about the others.”

I frowned. I was tempted to check up on the young sailor but I figured he was sleeping right now and I didn’t want to deprive him of that. Still, that didn’t excuse the others.

Wild sat down beside me, leaving the plates bare. Probably in case the others ditched us. “How did you sleep?” he asked.

I waved him off, facing away and muttering, “Couldn’t sleep. You?” I asked despite knowing the answer. I chuckled, it was typical of us as heroes. _I swear_ it’s a requirement to be Link. Except Sky—didn’t know how the guy managed it.

“Me neither,” Wild spoke softly.“Wolfie usually doesn’t ignore my call, no matter how far.”

I raised an eyebrow. _Really?_ The wolf’s strange affinity with us was something, even showing himself through time. But I knew as soon as my eyes lay on him that he was one of us. A statue of him had appeared in the Temple of Souls along with those of Young Link and Sky, and that was the moment I had realized there were other incarnations of myself—long before I met the others.

It wasn’t surprising. History sometimes exposed heroes of their secrets, but it wasn’t mine to speak. It’d mean exposing a weakness to be used against me.

“I’m sure he’ll be okay,” I said, although I was just as worried. “Perhaps he’s busy with the others.”

“Perhaps.” Wild drew a frown on his face. “I just wish we had a way to talk with them, you know?”

I agreed. I served myself a cup of tea. I wasn’t crazy about its bitterness but it served well enough while we waited. I just sat in silence, letting my mind wander around the inn. People began to leave the place, opening up the reliefyet the tension not quite leaving the back of my mind. The members of the Resistance still nowhere to be seen and I feared they ditched us. _Traitors,_ I thought.

Waiting here didn’t sit well with me. I stood up.“I’ll go get some air. Wait for Wind but call me if you need anything.” _Maybe get a potion while I’m at it._

I left the inn. The mountainous town was now filled with people but everyone marched stiffly, almost like in military. I tried to approach the men but all I got were stern looks and “Get out of my way” before I could utter a single word. Someone even tried to punch me in the face but I jumped out of the way and blended myself into the crowd.

 _What’s with all these people?_ I approached a woman. The lady stood by a lone tree, covering herself under the shade from the harsh sun, cooling herself with a fan. Couldn’t blame her, sweat drenched my face.

A step towards her and she shrilled before she knew what I’d ask.“Sorry, I know nothing! You all men are the same, aren’t you? All you want are monsters to hunt and dungeons to crawl into. But I’m sorry, I know nothing about what you deal with and I’d prefer not to get into that mess!” She pointed a finger at me. “You can’t go fool me! That green tunic of yours spells trouble everywhere!”

“I-I’m sorry, ma’am. I-I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to know where I can buy a potion.”

“A potion?” Her eyes narrowed, but they landed on my arm and her expression huffed. “Boy, I don’t know where you come from but no one sells potions here. To think you’d look for a magical cure-it-all only to risk your life again for such foolishness!”

My mouth snapped shut, carefully keeping myself neutral as I analyzed her expression. She continued having her tirade of words against travelers, and what I had found most concerning was that of a green tunic. I’d be wasting my time asking her about it so I turned around to leave. “Good day,” I said, not listening to her response.

I figured I was wasting my time and searched my way back to the inn. It was impossible to find anyone here. The scorching sun paved the streets hot like magma under the soles of my boots and the shade provided by the mountains have long faded as the sun reached its peak in the sky. Silence and solitude were not welcomed here—the din of the crowd filled the air with unshakeable anger among the people, shouts and exclamations followed with fighting. All surrounded by cheering—all creating a cacophonous symphony.

These same people also created the walls of the roads—a claustrophobic sensation. The only way to pass was through the hordes of them. Hordes of dangerous soldiers. One wrong glance and they’d send you to oblivion. No questions asked.

 _Are these people worth risking your life for?_ I thought to myself, despite them not being for my era. I couldn’t help but feel the shared connection between my brothers-in-arms: if not in mine, then bound to another’s. And the question became more pronounced: _Are these people worth risking Link’s life?_

I paused. _We’d fight for our people, no matter what._

_“Hey! Wars!”_

The charm glowed brightly under my tunic. I pulled it out, speaking to it directly. “Wind? Hey, you’re up.”

 _“Yes! It worked!”_ Wind cried. _“Where are you? We need you back at the inn.”_

“Is it urgent?”

Wild’s voice answered in his stead. _“One of Ronald’s men is missing.”_

I frowned. “I’ll go look for him. I’ll let you know.” My eyes turned to the crowds of people clamoring for fights. _Hope he’s not in one of them._ I carefully approached one such circle, where spectators bet for their fighter. I squeezed between people to reach the front, careful not to bump the splint into someone else.

“What’s going on here?” I asked a man next to me.

“We’re watching the best soldier fight in town!” He grinned. “Wanna take a bet?”

I waved him off. “Sorry, I only bet with legends.”

Two men fought each other, neither appearing to be of Ronald’s group. A tall, muscular man pinned down his opponent, holding his arms firmly to the ground. The other fighter thrashed around but to no avail, the hold too strong for his body. It took a few moments before his arms went limp, giving up the fight.

The winner finally released his opponent from his clutches, allowing the defeated fighter to flee into the crowd. Cheers followed his victory.

“Who’s next?”

The people around me murmured, exchanging the rupees won from their bets. I took my turn to leave, wanting to avoid becoming part of the commotion. I had my back on the ring when a taunting voice called me out.

“Hey, you! Blue Scarfy!”

I turned around, glaring. “Excuse me?”

“Yes, you! Come on, pretty boy. Your looks are worth the prize. I can’t wait to see your bloody face.”

I hmph’ed. “If this is how you treat others, you don’t deserve the title of soldier.”

He chuckled. “Who gives you authority to speak such words, mighty prince?”

“I am Link, Captain of the Hyrulean Royal Army.”

“Alright, _Link.”_ He crackled his knuckles. “Let’s see if that beauty of yours gives you prowess against the street-fighting champion, Bloody Iron Aaron.”

 _I didn’t ask for this—hey!_ Someone from the crowd shoved me into the ring. A glance back and soldiers now guarded the openings, leaving out any hope for escaping. I asked, “Is it really fair to fight against the weak?”

I flexed my fingers, wishing I had my entire arm to work with. I faced Aaron, eyes narrowing at the size of the colossal man—just as large as the Darknuts from Twilight’s era.

A punch headed towards me. I sidestepped, grabbing the fist and threw it down to Aaron’s side. “Listen, I don’t want to fight.”

“Giving up already? Even little boys showed more courage than you.”

I growled. A strong pulse ran through my left hand. _Not yet._ Swallowing my anger down, I released his hand, then jumped and backflipped towards the crowd. He kept coming at me, while I circled around, ducking and dodging his punches.

“Hey, coward! Start fighting for once!”

“Beat him up, Aaron!”

The yells intensified, but my mind focused on the man who wanted me dead. I threw up a punch, hitting squarely on his jaw. The excitement rang in my ears. I shut them down.

Aaron rubbed his jaw. “Not bad for a prince.”

I bit my remark. I continued throwing my collection of dodges and punches, much less coordinated than my sword fighting.One punch and he’d stagger, but never fall down. Had this been a sword fight I’d have dealt with it much quicker, broken arm or not. I swore the gods were testing my luck. First my arm now this.

And my luck ran out. Aaron punched me straight in the face and I slammed on the ground. The charm glowed. “I need support!” I said, not masking the panic from my voice. Aaron grabbed my arm and lifted me into the air, his eyes in contact with mine. Pierced black eyes supported by a malicious smirk.

“A shame I have to play with a broken little doll.”

He grabbed the splint.

And snapped it in half.

I screamed. The pain seared through my arm. The world swung—spun around me until I crashed to a halt. I lay on the ground. Breathing. Breathing. Listening helplessly as tremendous footsteps stomped towards me. My rapid breaths buried all noise—even my own voice.

Then silence. The people stood still, their mouths and eyes agape as the gravity of the situation settled in. I blinked a few times, praying to the gods that someone understood my signs.

_S.O.S._

No one answered. A woman, carrying her child, even turned away and hid herself among the crowd. The others who remained, including the soldiers, watched me with uncertainty on their faces. No one dared to move.

 _Come on, Link!_ I clawed the dirt. _Get up—“Argh!”_

Aaron stomped my back, lingering above me. “Captain, huh?” He spat. “Can’t believe a fragile doll has the guts to command an army of toughened soldiers. Let’s see you shatter like one!”

My heartbeat pounded through my core. My hand clenched as I hissed through the pain, praying that _it would stop._

“Warriors!”

I gasped. Wild dropped into the scene, sword drawn at Aaron’s neck. “Leave the captain alone!”

_Wild! Don’t!_

Aaron turned around, grasping Wild’s arm and tossed him down. The cheering exploded, now that a new contestant had arrived—one fully capable of fighting. And one who didn’t play by the rules.

“Hey!” I recognized the voice. “Come here! I want to fight! Leave them alone!”

“A kid?” Aaron faced the crowd, searching for the owner of the voice. “Who’s the kid brave enough to face me?”

“My name is Wind! The great sailor of the Great Sea!”

In those brief seconds of distraction, Wild ran towards me and lifted me up, putting my good arm across his shoulders.

“Can you move, Captain?”

My legs followed his pace and I felt like I had control again. I looked through the people, recognizing the bright blue tunic among the blacks and plain colors. “Wind!” I cried. “Get out!”

“Captain, we have to go. He got this.” Wild tried to reassure me.

We pushed through the crowd. Aaron’s voice roared behind us but the crowd blocked him out of our sight. _He’s fighting Wind._ I clenched my jaw. Out of all the times to be as useless as I did…

I stopped, pulling myself out of Wild’s grasp. “I can’t leave him behind,” I said. The champion turned to me, waiting for me to continue. “If something happens to him… I… I—give me your sword.”

Wild paused. He flickered his hand on his sword, hesitation apparent on his face as he gave it to me. I knew why: the sword was chipped on its sides, on the verge of breaking apart.

“Don’t you have a better weapon than this?” I asked. _I swear… if you keep breaking weapons like this…_

He shrugged. “I have a claymore. Want it?”

“Would be nice. If both hands worked.” I frowned, considered using the fire rod but that’d leave casualties. That left me with one thing. “I guess we have no choice but to pull him out and run back to the inn. We’ll worry about Ronald’s squad later.”

I ran back, my grip steady on the hookshot.Wind still fought in the ring, complete with the purple aura around his being. _Magic armor,_ I thought. _At least he’s safe while it’s up._

“Wind!” I called out. “Let’s go!”

“Warriors! Wild! Leave while you can!”

“We’re not leaving without you!” I yelled back.

Aiming the weapon, I launched the hookshot and the hook latched on Wind’s shield. He yelped. I pulled the chain, extracting Wind from the ring and held him in my arm.

“Hey!”

“Let’s go, please.”

After a brief pause, Wind nodded. Wild used stasis from his Sheikah Slate on Aaron, buying us time to leave the crowd. He then struck the path open with his claymore, pushing soldiers away.We ran. The crowd yelled, exclaiming and pointed in our direction as if we broke some sort of law. We probably did.

“Wait! We can’t go back to the inn. People will recognize us.”

“Where else we’ll go?” Wind asked, taking off his magic. “We’d have to leave the others behind!”

“I suppose that’s what we have to do.”


End file.
